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NEW YORK — T Media Sales, which provides sales, consulting and billing services to emerging networks and the advertising agencies who utilize them, has lured a former senior sales executive at WarnerMedia to serve as its President.

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A subscription-free, ad-supported national streaming video service backed by Gray Television has signed what it calls “major agreements” with eight station groups and independent TV station owners.

The deal brings local programming and content from 71 over-the-air stations to the VUit platform.

New partners include Hearst Television, Cox Media Group, Bahakel Communications, “Suncoast News Network,” Morris Network and News Press & Gazette.

“VUit has enabled our local stations to reach viewers with not only live news and programming relevant to them, but locally-produced on-demand content that viewers from across the country tune into,” said Pat LaPlatney, Co-CEO & President at Gray Television, a major investor in Syncbak, VUit’s parent company. “We want every local station to be streaming on VUit. Viewers download the app to watch their local channel, and stick around to watch programming from local stations all across the country.”

Morris Network owns stations in Lexington, Ky., and in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Suncoast News Network is housed at LPTV facility WSNN, licensed to Sarasota, Fla.

News Press & Gazette operates in 10 markets, including Santa Barbara-San Luis Obispo, Calif., and its home market of St. Joseph, Mo.

Family-owned Bahakel Communications owns six stations from five markets. Its flagship property is WCCB-TV, an affiliate of The CW Network, in Charlotte. Other markets include Columbia and Myrtle Beach, S.C.

In early September, RBR+TVBR first reported on the sale of a low-power CP that doesn’t need to be built until 2023 in Boise, Idaho.

The property is one of several put on the market by Corpus Christi, Tex.-based Mako Communications. And, the buyer was an entity headed by the former CEO of HC2 Holdings.

Now, a second deal has been consummated between the two parties, and it involves stations in Bakersfield and in Puerto Rico.

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The FCC’s Enforcement Bureau has entered into a Consent Decree with the licensee of the CBS affiliate serving Southwest Florida, in addition to radio stations serving the Fort Myers-Naples market, that will resolve a wireless tower land clearance controversy.

To absolve the company of its transgression, it will implement a compliance plan and make a U.S. Treasury contribution of significance.

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Ahead of a Form 314 filing with the FCC, Mike Flood has announced the consummation of a transaction that, pending regulatory approval, will make his company the largest broadcasting operation in the state of Nebraska.

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When the NAB Show returns to Las Vegas in the spring, three years since the most recent one, it will feature some new themes. It also will use part of the new West Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, which was under construction when broadcasters last visited.

Early registration is open for the 2022 convention, though right now you can only sign up for access to the floor and certain content. Registration for full paid conferences and workshops is to follow.

In the next five months, assuming current plans hold, at least three major trade shows of interest to radio will return to conducting events in-person: IBC 2021 in early December, CES 2022 in early January and the NAB Show in late April.

We can expect that all three will be watched closely for indications of how their underlying industries are bouncing back from the pandemic. What will major trade shows look like now? Will they draw the many thousands of people that they did in the past? Will attendees be sufficiently comfortable with health and safety precautions to turn out in force? Will international travel rebound?

For its part, the National Association of Broadcasters says its signature event is being “reimagined” and that it will feature “distinct destinations focused on three main pillars associated with the content lifecycle.” The pillars will be called Create, Connect and Capitalize.

Chris Brown, NAB executive vice president and managing director, global connections and events, was quoted in the announcement saying the goal is “to more closely mirror today’s media, entertainment and technology ecosystem in a way that is intuitive and makes it easier for attendees to navigate the event.” He said the show will include “curated experience zones” that support innovation, networking, education and “new ways of thinking.”

Specifics are sparse so far, but you can read more about what the organization hopes to offer on this page of the show website.

The Central and North Halls will focus on the “create” part of the equation, “from pre-production to post, including the latest tools and advanced workflow options to elevate storytelling.”

The new West Hall is where companies that support content distribution and delivery can be found, “from cloud computing to new media infrastructure.”

The North Hall will also feature “content monetization solutions.”

A fourth pillar is under development; it will focus on “critical components impacting all aspects of content creation and delivery.”

The convention will not use the South Hall facilities in 2021.

Will there be a specific radio area of the show floor?

“Generally speaking, exhibits of interest to radio broadcasters will be spread among the halls,” NAB Senior VP of Communications Ann Marie Cumming told us.

“For instance, radio programmers and talent are focused on creating compelling content. While engineers may be more focused on the ‘connect’ area associated with technologies that enable delivery. Capitalization means finding new revenue streams as radio companies increasingly become multimedia companies — something of interest to the sales and management side of the business. There are also plans in the works to make sure radio broadcasters enjoy a specially curated experience with content relevant to them.”

Before the pandemic, the IBC Show in Amsterdam was reporting around 56,000 people attending each year. CES said attendance in 2020 in Las Vegas was about 170,000. NAB reported about 91,000 at its most recent Vegas show in 2019.

The post NAB Promises a “Reimagined” Event appeared first on Radio World.

The NBC affiliate serving the Panama City, Fla., viewing area turned to the air on Tuesday afternoon (11/2), two days after being crippled by a vandal’s act that made operations all but impossible for the Gray Television-owned station.

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During the company’s third quarter 2021 earnings call hosted by Nexstar Media Group‘s executive team, the increasingly important topic of supply chain issues and its potential impact on advertising dollars arose.

It was Wolfe Research analyst John Janedis who was first in a Question-and-Answer period to ask about it. And, say Nexstar’s CEO and CFO, there is an impact. But, the Chief Financial Officer adds, growth in 14 of 25 categories is “more than making up” the loss.

Wall Street’s top financial voices have something to say about supply chain concerns. And, they’ll likely share many of their thoughts on November 16 at Forecast 2022 in New York. This limited-capacity event is filling up fast. Don’t delay, as Drew Marcus, Senior Advisor at Guggenheim Securities; Steven Cahall, Managing Director and Sr Equity Media/Cable Analyst at Wells Fargo Securities; and Christopher Ensley, Managing Director/TMT at Noble Capital Markets will be among the industry’s top leaders at this exclusive VIP event. REGISTER TODAY!

To do so and to view the entire agenda, please visit www.radioinkforecast.com now.

 

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Ad sales pioneer Ralph Guild has passed away at 93.

Guild is created with laying the groundwork for the modern ad rep sales industry with the founding of Interep in 1981. He spun that into a larger group that eventually included Group W Radio Sales (later CBS Radio Sales) and ABC Radio Sales.

Guild adapted to changing times with tweaks and permutations of the company, later moving into early digital and online ad sales.

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He began his radio representation career in 1957 at McGavren Radio — a San Francisco-based firm devoted to representing radio advertising, according to a notice. McGavren sent him to New York to open their first East Coast office. Due to his work, McGavren Radio was renamed McGavren Guild in 1967. Eventually Guild became the company’s president and chief operating officer, and later its chairman.

Not surprisingly, Guild collected a number of broadcast industry awards over the years including the Broadcasters Foundation Golden Mike, UJA-Radio Federation’s Radio Group Award, International Radio and Television Society Gold Medal. He has also been inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame and the Radio Broadcasters Hall of Fame.

Send news of engineering and executive personnel changes to radioworld@futurenet.com.

 

The post Ad Rep Pioneer Ralph Guild Passes Away appeared first on Radio World.

In July 2007, he was named PD at WRFF-FM in Philadelphia, an iHeartMedia-owned Alternative station where he would rise to VP/Alternative while hosting the morning show. In January 2020, he was a victim of widespread reduction-in-force initiatives across iHeartRadio.

Now, John Allers is a part of the Audacy Inc. family.

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WEST PALM BEACH — Ralph Guild, who created what is largely considered the standard operating structure for television and radio ad representation companies, has died.

Guild, the founder of Interep, passed away on Monday in Palm Beach, Fla.

He was 93 years of age.

Beasley Media Group, the radio station owner with an investment in the eSports Overwatch League, enjoyed year-over-year revenue improvements in the third quarter of 2021.

As such, it trimmed its net loss as Station Operating Income was on the rise for the owner of such stations as WBZ-FM “The Sports Hub” in Boston, WRIF-FM in Detroit, WMMR-FM in Philadelphia and properties in its home market of Fort Myers-Naples, Fla.

 

 

Join Caroline Beasley on November 16 at Forecast 2022 as she joins Hearst Television President Jordan Wertlieb in honoring the soon-to-retire NAB President/CEO Gordon Smith with a Lifetime Leadership Award. TO REGISTER FOR THIS VIP EVENT IN NEW YORK, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

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With its shares on the rise in pre-market trading on Tuesday following the release of third quarter results that are highly encouraging, Townsquare Media is cautiously optimistic that chip shortages and supply chain issues will bring negligible impacts to the company’s Q4 and early 2022 ad revenue results.

But, Townsquare is cushioned by its local digital business. For peers that are more reliant on radio station ad revenue driving the bottom line, the coming weeks may be ones full of nail biting.

Join Townsquare Media CEO Bill Wilson and some of Wall Street’s top financial voices on November 16 at Forecast 2022, at the Harvard Club in Midtown Manhattan. There’s still a seat with your name on it, but you’ll need to act fast, as this limited-capacity event is filling up fast. Join Wilson and such analysts as Drew Marcus, Senior Advisor at Guggenheim Securities; Steven Cahall, Managing Director and Sr Equity Media/Cable Analyst at Wells Fargo Securities; and Christopher Ensley, Managing Director/TMT at Noble Capital Markets. REGISTER TODAY!

To do so and to view the entire agenda, please visit www.radioinkforecast.com now.

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Winners have been announced in the Best in Market Awards program for fall of 2021.

The recipients named by Radio World are:

Angry Audio Headphone Disconnector

Inovonics 551 HD Radio Modulation Monitor

Telos Alliance Axia Quasar SR AoIP Mixing Console

Tieline Gateway 4 IP Audio Codec

Wheatstone Blade 4 WheatNet-IP I/O unit 

The program was open to manufacturers of professional radio, TV and AV products and solutions, regardless of exhibitor status at major events.

Readers might be forgiven for feeling there is a rush of award programs right now. But this program normally would have run in the spring; it was conducted in place of the “Best of Show” Awards that would have been held during the spring NAB Show, which was postponed to the fall and then cancelled for this year. A separate awards program currently is open for nominations for IBC convention season.

The Best in Market awards are judged and presented by Future brands Radio World, TV Technology, TVBEurope, Next, Mix, Broadcasting & Cable and Sound & Video Contractor.

A Program Guide with details about all the nominees including a list of winners will be published soon and distributed to readers of these publications.

The awards are intended to honor and help companies promote outstanding products launched or launching in 2021.

The post Winners Announced for Best in Market for Fall 2021 appeared first on Radio World.

The third quarter is shaping up to be a highly important one for every business that depends on advertising to drive the bottom line and make the P&L sheet look great.

What’s to come is on everyone’s minds, and there seems to be some questions. Are supply chain woes at automotive and in the CPG sector a legitimate concern for broadcast media?

Spanish Broadcasting System (SBS) COO Albert Rodriguez shares his insight on how his Hispanic-focused multimedia company is seeing little slowdown from advertisers, as the executive also chimes in on how Audacy Inc.’s change of WNSH-FM in New York from Country to a multicultural-appealing classic hip-hop and rhythmic pop format only solidifies how SBS’s stations in New York are a vital part of the total market buy.

Rodriguez even offers an explanation as to why Bad Bunny is a global phenomenon, first championed by SBS in Puerto Rico, in this InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM.

 

 Albert Rodriguez will be there. So will the heads of Townsquare Media, Katz Media Group, the TVB, the NAB, and American Urban Radio Networks — and that’s just before 11am!

Be where all of the leaders will be on November 16.

Secure your seat at Forecast 2022 by clicking here and registering now.

 

Listen to “The InFOCUS Podcast: Albert Rodriguez” on Spreaker.

On October 26, Zacks Equity Research predicted that the nation’s No. 1 licensee of television stations, Nexstar Media Group, would post quarterly earnings of $4.05 per share in Q3 2021, with revenues reaching $1.14 billion, up 2% from one year ago.

With the company’s stock less than $6 from an all-time high reached in late September, did Nexstar meet those forecasts? Yes.

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Audio creative research and analytics firm Veritonic has added “brand lift” to its platform’s campaign reporting capabilities. What does this mean for Veritonic clients?

“The addition of brand lift further solidifies the platform’s position as the only provider of end-to-end research, data and insights for the audio industry, providing its users with a comprehensive view of their audio advertising effectiveness and the key drivers behind it,” New York-based Veritonic claims.

Calling it “purpose-built for audio,” Veritonic uses an intuitive UI that includes filtering and segmentation parameters. Veritonic says its brand lift studies can be run for target audiences of all sizes, measuring both controlled and organic exposure across broadcast radio, streaming audio, and podcasts.

“The resulting data provides brands with the insight they need to understand how each audio asset is achieving their goals as it relates to awareness, favorability, intent, and recall,” the company founded by CEO Scott Simonelli says. “Brands can then use this data to make informed decisions around every element of their audio campaigns, including creative performance and ROI.”

Simonelli adds that the addition of brand lift “underscores our platform’s position as the exclusive destination for actionable audio insights from start to finish, providing our clients with the data they need to understand their campaign performance and more confidently invest in audio moving forward.”

The move sees Katz Digital Audio appoint Veritonic as a preferred Brand Lift partner.

Scott Porretti, President of Katz Digital Audio, commented, “The most recent study findings–which include a 170% lift in favorability–meaningfully furthered the advertisers’ confidence in audio as a highly effective channel for reaching their desired audience with the right message, in the right location, at the right time.”

A company known as a global provider of content protection technology products has named a SVP of Sales and Strategy for the Americas.

This individual will oversee business development for Friend MTS’ full suite of managed anti-piracy services for new and current partnerships with operators, rights holders and broadcasters.

Mike Baron is also responsible for sales and marketing strategies as well as strategic growth plans, policy and procedures.

He will have a regional focus on the United States and South America, and is based in Los Angeles. Baron reports to John Ward, Executive Vice President for the Americas at Friend MTS.

With 25 years of experience, Baron most recently served as Senior Vice President of Partnerships for Super League Gaming / Virtualis Studios where he launched Super League Gaming’s cloud-based, virtual studio technology. Before that, Baron held the position of Vice President of Global Business Development and Special projects for Deluxe Entertainment Services, as well as Head of FOX Sports Enterprises, where he was responsible for managing and monetizing FOX Sports’ IP-related new business initiatives.

Forget about 2020 comps: Townsquare Media is offering Q3 2021 comps to two years prior, and the results are strong.

The local digital and radio broadcasting company is reporting third quarter net revenue that falls short of Q3 2019 by just 1%.

At the same time, Townsquare’s Q3 2021 adjusted EBITDA beat Q3 ’19 by a good 4%.

 

Want to chat about Townsquare Media’s unique position in the broadcast media space with CEO Bill Wilson? You may just get the chance to do so in person, but only if you’re at Forecast 2022.

Join RBR+TVBR and Radio Ink at the Harvard Club in Midtown Manhattan on November 16 for this special VIP event by clicking here.

 

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